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Budget ignores needs of younger generations

The province has amassed a surplus of nearly a billion dollars by spending little on B.C. residents in their 40s and younger.

The province has amassed a surplus of nearly a billion dollars by spending little on B.C. residents in their 40s and younger.

This generation and my own children are caught in the generation squeeze, low wages, precarious work, high housing costs and child-care expenses that equal a monthly mortgage payment.

My children are not lazy, whiny or entitled, but are conscientious, hard-working and responsible citizens. They and their friends are discouraged by the daunting challenges they face as they attempt to build their futures.

Data show that their full-time earnings are substantially lower compared to a generation ago, while housing prices have more than doubled.

Governments need to address and adapt policy with the same urgency for younger generations as the government has for those over 65. It is time for younger citizens to organize to increase their influence in the world of politics.

That is what Generation Squeeze (gensqeeze.ca) hopes to do. Generation Squeeze had its first meeting to organize a group in Victoria last week and is organizing similar groups across the country.

We need a better inter-generational deal. There needs to be more equity in political power between generations before there will be more generational equity in public policy.

Marilyn Banfield

Victoria